Justin Greenberg got an early start in real estate. Working at a golf course the summer before his senior year of college, he caddied for a commercial broker who saw his potential and suggested he earn his real estate license. Greenberg took a one-week condensed class during winter break and passed the licensing exam on his first try. “I started receiving stacks of letters from brokerages inviting me to interview,” he recalls. “Instead of going to Mexico with friends for spring break, I interviewed with dozens of companies and made the decision to start my career that summer.”

In his second year in the industry, Greenberg co-founded a real estate tech startup. “That was one of the most rewarding, frustrating, exciting, challenging and ultimately disappointing experiences of my life,” Greenberg says. He later spent four years on the management side of real estate, rising quickly through the ranks.

“I’ve experienced more success in each of the past four years than I did in my first nine combined,” he says. “Those first nine years in real estate — the crash of 2008, the failed startup and the management experience — helped shape me. Every deal has its own set of challenges. But when you can fall back on past experiences, it gives you the confidence to keep moving forward.”

Now a top-performing broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, Greenberg noted that the rapid shift from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market in 2019 was challenging, but it was also his best year in terms of sales volume. He increased his average sales price by 20%, hired an assistant and put several processes in place to continue his growth.

Greenberg’s greatest personal accomplishment was welcoming his son, Jaxon, into the world with his wife, Carrie, last November. He enjoys golfing, spending time with his family — including his two dogs — and giving back. He’s the co-chair of the Hunger Resource Network’s marketing committee and supports several animal shelters, the Jewish United Fund and the Evans Scholars Foundation.